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Subjects recruited in years 1, 2, and 4 will only be seen for one study visit and will follow the research visit protocol listed below:

Pre-Screening - If the subject chooses to be pre-screened for this study they will be asked to fill out a study registration form and an oral habits/medical history form. They will be asked to sign an Informed Consent. The subject will then have their teeth and gums examined. At this visit, the investigator will assess whether or not the subject is a good candidate for the study. During the phone interview each subject was asked not to brush or floss their teeth and not to eat or drink anything other than water for 8 hours prior to the pre-screening visit (Visit 0). If the subject was compliant with these requests, oral samples will be collected at this pre-screening visit and will now be considered Visit 1 (Baseline). If not, they will be asked to return to the clinic for another visit and asked not to brush or floss their teeth and not to eat or drink anything other than water 8 hours prior to that appointment. This visit will then be consider Visit 1 (Baseline).

Visit 1 (Baseline) - The subject will have their medical and dental history reviewed. They will have their teeth and gums examined. Saliva and plaque will be collected. This will be the end of the study for subjects recruited in years 1, 2, and 4.

Subjects will be grouped by the year they participate in the study. Subjects recruited in year 3 will follow the research visit protocol outlined below:

Pre-Screening - If the subject chooses to be pre-screened for this study they will be asked to fill out a study registration form and an oral habits/medical history form. They will be asked to sign an Informed Consent. The subject will then have their teeth and gums examined. At this visit, the investigator will assess whether or not the subject is a good candidate for the study. During the phone interview each subject was asked not to brush or floss their teeth and not to eat or drink anything other than water for 8 hours prior to the pre-screening visit (Visit 0). If the subject was compliant with these requests, oral samples will be collected at this pre-screening visit and will now be considered Visit 1 (Baseline). If not, they will be asked to return to the clinic for another visit and asked not to brush or floss their teeth and not to eat or drink anything other than water 8 hours prior to that appointment. This visit will then be considered Visit 1 (Baseline).

Visit 1 (Baseline) - The subject will have their medical and dental history reviewed. They will have their teeth and gums examined. Saliva and plaque will be collected. Each subject will be given a toothbrush and toothpaste and instructed to not use any other dental products. This will be considered the "washout" period.

Visit 2 - The subject will be asked to return the unused toothpaste. Their medical and dental history will be reviewed and they will have their teeth examined. Saliva and plaque will be collected at this visit. The subjects will then be randomly assigned (by chance, like the flip of a coin) to the group that will use a marketed fluoride-containing toothpaste or to the group that will use a marketed arginine containing toothpaste. The subject will also be instructed not to brush or floss their teeth or eat or drink anything other than water for 8 hours prior to the next appointment.

Visits 3, 4, and 5 - Subjects will not be allowed to brush or floss their teeth or eat or drink anything other than water 8 hours prior to these visits. Saliva and plaque will be collected. On the 5th visit subjects will be asked to return the unused toothpaste tube. At this time participation in this research study will end and they will be instructed to return to their regular oral hygiene regiments.

Levels of the arginine deiminase system (ADS) in oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from baseline to week 2 [ Time Frame: Changes from baseline to 2 weeks (Screening) ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the baseline and week 2 study visits. The amount of ammonia and/or citrulline produced via the ADS by oral bacteria present in the collected oral samples will be measured and compared using standardized protocols.

Levels of the arginine deiminase system (ADS) in oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from week 2 to week 4 [ Time Frame: Changes from week 2 to week 4 (Baseline) ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the week 2 and week 4 study visits. The amount of citrulline and/or ammonia produced via the ADS by oral bacteria present in the collected oral samples will be measured and compared using standardized protocols.

Levels of the arginine deiminase system (ADS) in oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from week 4 to week 8 [ Time Frame: Changes from week 4 to week 8 (Washout) ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the week 4 and week 8 study visits. The amount of ammonia and/or citrulline produced via the ADS by oral bacteria present in the collected oral samples will be measured and compared using standardized protocols.

Levels of the arginine deiminase system (ADS) in oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from week 8 to week 12 [ Time Frame: Changes from week 8 to week 12 (Evaluation) ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the week 8 and week 12 visits. The amount of ammonia produced via the ADS by oral bacteria present in the collected oral samples will be measured and compared using standardized protocols

Levels of the arginine deiminase system (ADS) in oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from baseline to week 12. [ Time Frame: Changes from baseline to week 12 (Evaluation) ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the baseline and week 12 study visits. The amount of ammonia produced via the ADS by oral bacteria present in the collected oral samples will be measured and compared using standardized protocols.

Secondary Outcome Measures
:

Bacteria collected from oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from baseline to week 2 [ Time Frame: Changes from baseline to week 2 ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the baseline and week 2 study visits.Bacteria present in these oral samples will be isolated and identified. The capacity of the bacteria to produce ammonia from arginine in different environmental conditions will be measured.

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the week 2 and week 4 study visits. Bacteria present in these oral samples will be isolated and identified. The capacity of the bacteria to produce ammonia from arginine in different environmental conditions will be measured.

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the week 4 to week 8 study visits. Bacteria present in these oral samples will be isolated and identified. The capacity of the bacteria to produce ammonia from arginine in different environmental conditions will be measured.

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the week 8 and week 12 study visits. Bacteria present in these oral samples will be isolated and identified. The capacity of the bacteria to produce ammonia from arginine in different environmental conditions will be measured.

Bacteria collected from oral samples of healthy and caries-active subjects changes from baseline to week 12 [ Time Frame: Changes from baseline to week 12 ]

Saliva and dental plaque will be collected during the baseline and week 12 study visits. Bacteria present in these oral samples will be isolated and identified. The capacity of the bacteria to produce ammonia from arginine in different environmental conditions will be measured.

Other Outcome Measures:

Salivary factors present in healthy and caries-active subjects during the research study. [ Time Frame: Up to 6 months ]

Saliva will be collected from healthy and caries-active subjects during the research study. The differences in salivary factors between the healthy and caries-active groups will be compared.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.